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Interactive Fiction B
Introduction Definition of Interactive Fiction Interactive Fiction is "a type of computer game in which the player controls characters with text commands".http://www.dictionary.com It is important to distinguish interactive fiction from hypertext fiction. Hypertext fiction uses hyperlinks to allow readers to progress through the work, while interactive fiction allows the user to type in any command they choose in order to advance through the game. It is for this reason that interactive fiction is commonly referred to as "text adventures". While interactive fiction may seem like little more than a game, David Hancy and Bernard Hayes argue that "interactive fiction could offer students who are reluctant readers a new motivation and interest to use their reading ability for personal satisfaction".David Hancy and Bernard Hayes, Interactive Fiction and the Reluctant Reader http://www.jstor.org/stable/818936 Interactive fiction is an exciting, growing genre that can give technologically fascinated adolescents an opportunity to hone their reading skills. History of Interactive Fiction Interactive Fiction (IF) is one of the first forms of the computer game, which has evolved overtime through different mediums, to include several interactive stories and experiences for the reader. IF originated almost 40 years ago, with its first main work being an adventure game called “Adventure”, created in 1975 by programmer and caver named Will Crowther. The game stimulated the adventure of exploring an extensive networks of caves in which the gamer encounters both treasures and hazards. The game includes both realistic and fantasy aspects such as trying to solve the problem of dying lamp batteries and axe-wielding dwarves. The game has no graphics, but instead has a narrator that describes a situation then asks for the gamer to input what actions to take to continue. To this day, “Adventure” can still be played and exists in several updated versions.The popularity of “Adventure” lead to several other works of interactive fiction that people could playon their computers with little graphics. Some commands from this game are still used in the present in games such as Minesweeper. This exploration text inspired a completely new commercial genre of computer gaming in the 1980’s that were in extreme high demand and popular amongst its users. During this commercial era, some of the main companies included Infocom, Melbourne House, Level 9, and Adventure International. The concept of strictly text IF left the commercial market place around 1990.About Interactive Fiction, http://inform7.com/if/ Major Features of Interactive Fiction Interactive Fiction (IF) is any form of literature in which the reader/user influences the outcome of the story. IF can be composed in two different forms, graphic and text. The earliest literature in IF was in text form. Often times, novels were written with several plot changes and twists that is entirely up to the reader to choose. The author may offer a couple scenarios that the reader must choose from by flipping ahead in the book. Each option leads to a new set of scenarios and entirely new endings to the novel. The same idea works with online text. Users often read the basic story information and type commands in which the character in the story responds to. Commands are often simple, like "Take Book" or "Read Letter", but this allows the author to include interactive components throughout their work. Graphic forms of interactive fiction involve using imagery instead of text. Authors of graphic IF spend a lot more time with their work, often resulting in their literature having a price. The main idea behind IF is that you are required to use your brain to solve puzzles in order to reach the story's ending, as opposed to simply reading words on paper. For further information regarding major features of IF, please refer to "[http://brasslantern.org/beginners/introif.html Introducing Interactive Fiction]"Stephen Granade, Introducing Interactive Fiction, 1997-2010, http://brasslantern.org/beginners/introif.html on the [http://brasslantern.org Brass Lantern]Stephen Granade, Brass Lantern: The Adventure Game Website, 1997-2010, http://brasslantern.org website. "Dual Transform" by Andrew Plotkin (Ernie Nieves) "[http://eblong.com/zarf/if.html#dual Dual Transform]" by Andrew Plotkin is primary example of interactive fiction. In this piece of literature, there is more than just simply reading and turning pages; the reader needs to be able to think creatively to continue reading. Pieces of interactive fiction such as this one vary in degree of difficulty. Some stories are short and a breeze to read through/play while some require a great deal of patience. With this specific work by Plotkin (aka Zarf), I found myself stumped on multiple occasions. One way to remedy this issue is to become familiar with the reference card above. Most interactive literature is based on common commands, all listed on the reference card. When I found that even referring to the card couldn't help me figure out what to do next, I referred to the [http://www.allthingsjacq.com/intfic_clubfloyd_20100503.html ClubFloyd Play-Through] ClubFloyd, ClubFloyd Transcript Playthrough, http://www.allthingsjacq.com/intfic_clubfloyd_20100503.html. While using a play-through is helpful if you find yourself at a dead-end, it is also filled with spoilers, so only use a play-through as a last resort. ''Dual Transform'' was actually a very difficult game for someone who has no prior experience with interactive fiction. As badly as I wanted to be able to figure out what to do next using only the short paragraphs to find clues, instead I found myself referring to ClubFloyd Play-Through more often than I would have originally preferred. At first glance, the degree of difficulty in this piece does not seem intimidating at all. The very basic information is that this is an "escape" style game that takes place in a single room. Once you start to play, however, you learn that this room you are in changes drastically (almost like teleportation) depending on the commands you enter. The trick to this specific piece of interactive fiction is that the plot is based on physical forces like heat, pressure and mass. In most works, clue might be easy to interpret (like something is on fire, and there is a fire extinguisher in the room with you). In ''Dual Transform'', however, the clues are far more subtle. In the very beginning, you are given an equation which you learn is the equation for pressure. By using the command "push pressure icon", the room you are in transforms into the inside of a church, complete with an altar and locked box, all of which provide clues later in the game. My experience with ''Dual Transform'' was bitter-sweet. Like I mentioned previously, I found myself referring to play-through more often than I had originally anticipated. While I do not recommend this piece of interactive literature to those who are new to IF, I do encourage users to give ''Dual Transform'' a try once they have become comfortable with exactly how IF works. The key to interactive fiction is to be able to find key clues in the text. ''Dual Transform'' also requires a personal understanding of basic elements like light, heat and pressure. "Cold Iron" by Andrew Plotkin (Josh Rahmani) ''[http://eblong.com/zarf/zweb/coldiron/ Cold Iron]'' by Andrew Plotkin (also know as Zarf) is an example of Interactive Fiction. This is where the reader is given a prompt and required to give input on what the main character they are controlling is going to do next. When playing Interactive Fiction, there are times where the reader might have difficulties continuing on through the story because there are only a few keywords or commands that are recognized in order to allow the reader to move forward in the story. As I was playing through the game, there were times where I knew exactly what I needed to do in order for the story to progress but had some difficulty trying to find the exact terms that it was looking for. This will usually cause frustration for the reader and may even lead them to giving up and not continuing on through the story. A resource I found that helped me very much when going through Interactive Fiction games was the [http://pr-if.org/doc/play-if-card/play-if-card.pdf reference card] that had all the common commands that were used in Interactive Fiction. It was also additionally helpful because Andrew Plotkin, who developed ''Cold Iron,'' also made this reference card''.'' The story begins with the main character in their home, which has a bedroom and a living room. In the home, there is "a maplewood table that the character refers to as the homes pride, which was made by his or her cousin".Andrew Plotkin, ''Cold Iron'' http://eblong.com/zarf/zweb/coldiron/ On the table is battered book that was given to the main character by Reverd Pearson. When going through the game, the user starts off by taking on the role as this character and makes his or her decisions. When searching the home, you notice that your axe is not next to the table where you left it and suspect that it was taken by piskeys. You leave your home and go searching in a near by forest to find your axe. Along the way you find and see things in the forest that remind you of stories that you had read in the book given to you by Reverd Pearson. By following the steps done by the characters in the stories you are able to move on through the forest. After finding a glass bead and exchanging it for a knife thats shadow points home, you will find a rusty iron axe head in a holly bush. When you touch the cold iron, the user changes from controlling the original character in the forest, you change into a pastor and try to find your way back to the church. While following the stream, you feel watched and remember something you read in the book and make a wreath out of the holly branches you took and dip it in the water and then place the wreath on your head. This is because the story said "Holly to pass unseen".Andrew Plotkin, ''Cold Iron'' http://eblong.com/zarf/zweb/coldiron/ Interactive Fiction is a great example of Ergodic Liturature, which according to Espen J. Aarseth in his work ''[http://www.hf.uib.no/cybertext/Ergodic.html Cybertext: Persepective on Ergodic Literature]'', is "when nontrivial effort is required to allow the reader to traverse the text".Espen J. Aarseth, ''Cybertext: Perspective on Ergodic Literature'' http://www.hf.uib.no/cybertext/Ergodic.html ''Cold Iron'' is an example of a puzzleless Interactive Fiction, this is when in order to get from one point in the story to the other, you rarely have any difficult puzzles or tasks that are required in order to carry the story along and instead rely solely on the story itself being entertaining enough for the player to remain interested.A Beginner's Guide to Playing Interactive Fiction http://www.microheaven.com/IFGuide/index.html It is also an example of a fairytale because it talks about magic people and piskeys that might have stolen his axe. Aarseth also talks about unicursal labyrinths, which is where there is only one path, winding and turning, usually toward a center.Espen J. Aarseth, ''Cybertext: Perspective on Ergodic Literature'' http://www.hf.uib.no/cybertext/Ergodic.html After going through ''Cold Iron,'' multiple times I began to realize that when you are wandering through the woods, there did not seem to be a sense of direction. For example, going west was not always the opposite of going east. The game was created so that you just continue walking around the same circle until you do the task that is required of you. This is why I felt that ''Cold Iron'' is a good example of a unicursal labrinth. Another thing I realized after playing the game was that there was very little to no differences at all between all of the times I would play. Once I realized that I had just been doing the same thing over and over again with little variation in the story from the previous time, I began to try and wander in the imaginary forest as long as I was able to so I could find other parts to the story. This is when I found that it was in some sort of loop. Overall, I found ''Cold Iron'' to be one of the easier Interactive Fiction games. It has a great deal to do with the size and length of the game which is rather short and the fact that it does not really change that much everytime you play. There is only one path, which you are able to take to get to the end. This game is most likely geared towards beginners and people who have not played that much Interactive Fiction games. It is a great way for a person to get more involved and see what it takes to get to the end of the story. "Violet" by Jeremy Freese (John Gillick) The work of interactive fiction I analyzed is Jeremy Freese’s “[http://pr-if.org/play/violet/ Violet] ”. Before you begin the story, it informs you that you progress through the story by entering action phrases into the interface. For example, if you want to sit down in the chair, you can type “sit chair” or “sit in chair”. If the game does not recognize your input, it will prompt you to reenter your phrase in a way that it can understand. Once you successfully enter a phrase, it will present you with new information from the action you just completed. To illustrate, when you attempt to shoot a pen by launching a tater tot, the game informs you that “the tater tot misses the pen by less than half an inch and hits the wall, where it shatters.” (Freese) Our story begins with a choice: you can either choose to be male or female. No matter which you choose, you interact with your girlfriend Violet for the duration of the story. Interestingly, the story does not create a boyfriend for you if you choose to play as a girl, rather you are simply a homosexual female and the story goes on the same as if you were a male. You quickly discover that your objective is to write a one thousand word dissertation while at work. You also quickly realize that you will be talking with Violet for the duration of the game. In addition, she is somehow able to observe all of your actions and she has a particular talent for making snarky comments when you make a mistake. The main problem you encounter is that you are always getting distracted by something that renders you unable to focus on writing your dissertation. Either the hallway chatter is too loud, your female colleague’s perfume is too strong, or the park outside is too inviting. It is here that we find the main point of this story. Freese is trying to illustrate how we often let ourselves become distracted from our work and blame it on the imperfections of our environment. As the main character, you spend the majority of the day working on a dissertation that could have taken an hour to complete had you simply written it without being distracted. In addition, instead of dreaming about spending time outdoors, you could have simply written your paper and then gone outside. As a college student who has faced situations where I find myself dreaming about the things I could be doing instead of my work, I found this story to be particularly relevant. You end the game whenever you get up and leave the room. When you “win” the game, you learn that this is because Violet had hidden a camera in your air vent and can no longer see you. Thus, she can no longer comment on your actions and that is the whole pretense of the game. When you finish the game entirely, you wind up naked and with your office in ruins. This is a, perhaps exaggerated, warning of what can happen when you procrastinate and allow your mind to wander away from your work. Because you are forced to input the decisions yourself, it makes you realize exactly how far the character is willing to go to put off working on the dissertation. This really helps solidify the message against procrastination. According to Adam CadreAdam Cadre, http://adamcadre.ac/calendar/10/10910.html, Interactive Fiction is tailored perfectly for an autistic audience. At first, I was skeptical, but his [http://adamcadre.ac/calendar/10/10910.html argument ] makes sense. He states that because an author cannot possibly describe the entire contents of a room and its thousands of objects, interactive fiction puts the reader into a situation that “can be completely apprehended without being overwhelming.” (Cadre) Think about it, the characters do not speak unless they are spoken too, there are never any expectant faces waiting for a reply, and there are clearly defined goals for how to succeed. Interactive fiction has created an ideal world for an autistic user. “Violet” is no different. There are a limited number of items to interact with and you know exactly what your objective is at all times. This is a very interesting take on interactive fiction and I wonder if interactive fiction could be used to help educate autistic students in the future. "Body Bargain" by Karen Eschbach "Body Bargain", by Amanda Lange, was a work of horror that recieved eighth place in the 2012 [http://ifcomp.org/ Interactive fiction Competition] . In this game, players follow the story of a young woman, Rain, who has had expensive futuristic cosmetic surgery performed, but has no money to pay her doctor with. Instead, she has a contract under this doctor, and must work to pay it off. At least, This is what we've been told. In reality, the games events are much more flexible, allowing The player to escape early, attempt rescue of other patients, and attempt to kill the doctor. Actions in this game are performed using commands, such as "stand," "x desk," and "get scrubs." Gameplay occurs throughout multiple rooms and travel is largely performed using compass rose directions "n", "ne," "e," etc. When playing through the game following Doctor Overclock's orders, the player becomes a nurse, assisting in full body alteration surgeries. The first operation is fairly routine, the patient is a body builder who finds the limitations of his current arms too debilitating. The player makes incisions in one arm, and the doctor saws through, disturbing Rain slightly. A new arm is attatched quickly and Doctor Overclock moves on to the next patient. The second operation is on a delusional man convinced he needs to become a dragon. The patient's file contains drawings of his imagined ideal form, which disturb and disgust Rain due to their perversion. The doctor sees her reaction, agrees, and decides to euthanize the patient. The player can then chose to go through with the euthanization, or substitute with a sedative. The third patient involved is the main character's sister, Savannah, who has chosen to take a similar bargain to obtain the body she desires. The doctor states that she doesn't need pain killers for this procedure, as he is well aware of her tendency toward self harm. Savannah protests, and again the player has a choice to sedate or not sedate the patient. The script at the end states that Savannah is still breathing when you decapitate her. Presumably, this is to attatch a new head. The last line states, "But it's not so bad. Tomorrow she will be like you. No more scars. Perfect."Amanda Lange, http://ifcomp.org/comp12/play.php?id=253 Each time I've played through this game I've regretted certain decisions made. There doesn't seem to be one morally correct path to take. If you chose to escape, you leave Savannah to the doctor's tender mercies and break your contract, to let savanah escape, either you or the doctor must die, and, of course, Savannah is ticked because she signed up for the operation. In her review, "A Smart Scare for an Evening in," Danielle comments, "The game's scenario is set in a sci-fi world, that scenario is tinged with horror (the kind of horror depends on how you play--some decisions lead you towards a slasher-style story, other decisions a quieter, more disturbing tale)." Danielle, http://ifdb.tads.org/viewgame?id=pzq8hv3aq3yplc9x This reviewer also comments that the tone of the piece was well executed and consistent, as was it's star NPC, Dr. Overclock. She also states that the gore level was squirm-inducing, but not over the top. My experience playing this game was quite enjoyable, and the story was gripping. The environment was manageable, but I began playing at a time in which I had little experience with interactive fiction, and had issues moving around and performing certain actions, as I didn't know which commands to use. I had to be guided through it several times in different scenarios, to reach most of the endings. However, after playing a variety of other IFs I've found that this story is remarkably succinct and the environment is not needlessly complicated. This work focuses on themes surrounding body modification/ mutilation and loss of humanity. All of the stories characters have requested some form of body modification at some point, some to their detriment, and others to their benefit. When Rain has her full body modification, she loses some of her humanity, as shown by the clinical choices she makes that cause others to suffer. Themes present also revolve around the hospital setting and ethical decisions made by doctors and nurses that effect patients. "Taco Fiction " by Ryan Veeder (Oma Wonodi) “[http://www.ifcomp.org/comp11/play.php?id=201 Taco Fiction] ” by Ryan Veeder, is a piece of interactive literature; specifically, it is a piece of interactive fiction. The background of the game is that the protagonist is in a lot of trouble and is trying to make ends meet. The protagonist needs money desperately, and the whole IF piece is about committing criminal acts to make ends meet. The protagonist, the criminal, is extremely desperate through the fact that he uses his own car, has no back up, and carries an unloaded gun; he essentially has no back up plan, and is living from moment to moment. In the very beginning of the game, before the user is allowed to interact with the literature, the narrator sets up the specific scene that the criminal is in. The interesting thing about the narration is that it is really the criminal talking to himself. For instance, at the very beginning of the work, the criminal is in a state of panic and is sitting in his car contemplating what to do, so the beginning narration is very choppy and fast paced, to exemplify the criminal’s state of mind. After the initial opening, the game begins and the reader is allowed to finally interact with the fiction, by inputting commands. This text works by allowing the user to interact with the fiction by entering commands for the criminal to follow. Which each command entered, the software of the IF responds with an output; basically, the user and the fiction have a “cause and effect” relationship. The IF is not completely simple to operate, so it is important that the reader learn the general instructions for interactive fiction (as show in the introduction). As the user dictates the actions, and as the criminal takes these actions, there is a storyline that is revealed to the reader. The game is a continuous entity, in which one event leads to another, and it attempts to relate different parts of the fiction. For instance, depending on the commands you give, the criminal may come across a piece of hidden graffiti in a nearby alley. This point is later brought up when the user is able to ask another character about the significance of the graffiti he found in the alley. The storytelling genre that this work of IF draws upon is suspense. “Taco Fiction” is not scary, but it leaves the user in a constant panic about that will become of the criminal with each command. The suspense comes from the fact that through out the whole game, the criminal is on thin ice, and any simple wrong move can cause the end of him. The experience of operating and reading my text is exciting and confusing. I found it exciting because through out the IF, the reader is in charge of how the story will unravel its self. The reader is in absolute control of the fate of the criminal and can be creative. It was fun and exhilarating typing in a command, and hitting enter in anticipation of what was to come. The text was confusing through the fact that sometimes it was hard to get the criminal to do something. Specifically, you could type in a command such as “walk to cashier” and the program would not recognize it. This caused me to be creative and think outside the box with my commands. The major theme of the work is the contemplation of criminal acts before they are initiated. The narrator always gives warnings to the user before allowing them to take certain actions and really make them think before entering a command. Overall, I really enjoyed the work. It reminded me a lot of “Shade” because it followed the same format and rules; the difference was in the storyline of the game. One thing that I believe could be improved is the narration. In Sam Kabo Ashwell’s review of “Taco Fiction” he says “ The narration/command setup is framed as being the PC talking to himself; this is very strongly emphasized at the outset but fades somewhat over the course of the game”. Towards the beginning of the work, the criminal provides a lot of background information about what is going on in the scene, allowing the user to have a better sense of what commands to enter for the story to proceed in a certain direction. However, after a certain, point, the narration becomes scarcer and the reader has to figure out a lot more on his/her own. Source: Ashwell, Sam K. "[IF Comp11] Taco Fiction ." http://maga-dogg.livejournal.com/453222.html. References